Book Blurb:

Rebecca only wanted to help out – to be kind. Richard seemed so alone after his wife, Nicole, died, and Rebecca wanted to make sure he knew he had someone to rely on.

But now she’s in Nicole’s immaculate house. Drinking from her favourite crystal wine glass. Keeping shoes in her orderly closet. Comforting her sweet and grieving step-daughter. It feels like Rebecca is living another woman’s life.

And as she gets to know the neighbours, Rebecca hears stories that make her wonder: was free-spirited Nicole happy in this perfect life, or did she feel trapped? Did she feel, as Rebecca is beginning to, that something wasn’t quite right?

The book everyone’s talking about! If you loved The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and The Girl Before, you’ll be totally gripped and unable to put down this twisty page-turning psychological thriller.

My Review:

This is not the first time I’ve caught a review by my blogger buddy, Shalini, and jumped on the NetGalley wagon to see if I could secure this ebook for myself. Oh my goodness, once again, she was right, so nailed the heart-stopping tension from start to finish.

This one hooks you immediately in a prologue that gradually emerges as a descriptive drowning. Nicole’s last thoughts–heartbreaking, tragic, pitiful. Then the well-paced novel proceeds with a look back and divides into multiple POV’s, including Nicole as you must know how that peek into her life came to that distressing conclusion.

Nicole meets Richard and a whirlwind courtship leads to a wedding. The wedding is attended by Richard’s daughter, Olivia. Nicole is a damaged MC, naive, trusting, and so in love with Richard, beautiful, sweet, thoughtful Richard, that she will make the effort to work with Olivia–no matter the cost. But it’s considerable.

Rebecca, Nicole’s best friend, attends the service for Nicole and is determined to ferret out the reason for Nicole’s alleged suicide. As the POV flips from Nicole to Richard and Olivia, your heart sinks with each twist Nicole discovers and turns to smoldering distrust of Richard, to extreme distaste for Olivia. Rebecca is a cool cucumber, calculating, intelligent, and not easily manipulated. She handles Olivia in a completely different manner and gradually begins to glean tidbits, reverting to outside sources and finds an ally in Peter.

First you are raging at Olivia, then cringing for Nicole. Always hoping for a way out, seeing none, and cannot imagine how the author will find a way to satisfactorily conclude her thriller–is it too late to hope? The range of emotions the storyline evokes sends you through the darkest in family noir.

I received an ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. I was glued to these pages (exceedingly grateful I was finally capable of getting my cell phone to download the book!) and couldn’t flip fast enough! (Maybe it was the screen protector?) Recommended to any who appreciate a good psychological thriller. Definitely a favorite and thank you shout out to Shalini.

Rosepoint Publishing: Five of Five Stars

The Author:

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, brings you powerful psychological thriller and contemporary fiction. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller THE AFFAIR – the second of a three-book deal – comes to you from fabulous BOOKOUTURE. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and previously writing for award-winning Choc Lit, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.

So why does Sheryl write in two genres? Quoting E. L. Doctorow, Sheryl says: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights…” This she thinks sums up a writer’s journey, you never quite know where you are going until you get there. You might start with an outline, but a strong character will always divert from the plot. If Sheryl’s not sure where a character is going, she simply has to trust him to show her the way. Plus, according to one reviewer, she also has a scary insight into the mind of a psychopath.

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Author: Rosepoint Publishing

I am the granddaughter of Patrick John "Stanley McShane" Rose whose books including "Cocos Island Treasure" I've recently published. My time is now spent in reading, reviewing, and writing bookish articles. I'm looking forward to sharing this social media odyssey with you!
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Thank you so much for sharing your fab review, Shalini. The blogger community is just absolutely amazing. I’m thrilled to bits and so appreciative of your lovely support! 🙂 xx

Gin (I hope I got your name right!), thank you so, so much. I meant to reply here earlier but had to dash off. I totally LOVE your fab review! You two have made my day, really! I LOVE you both to bits! Total stars! 🙂 xx

Thank YOU so much for all the lovely words regarding my review. I really did enjoy your book and am looking forward to more! So now tell me something: Do they still call Birmingham Brummagem? And did you know that “outhouse” in the US means something WAY different than the way it is used in your book? I knew what you meant, of course, but still stumbled over it and had to chuckle as it conjured a vision. (Gross) 😅

I read lots of books, from mythology retellings to literary fiction and I love to reread books from childhood, this is a place to voice my thoughts for fun. I also like to ramble about things such as art or nature every now and again.

My aim is to create an extensive portfolio of my writing, featuring a range of different articles, reviews and pieces of my own writing/thoughts. I love to write about many different subjects and have a passion for Music, Books, Film & TV, Journalism, Marketing and Creative Writing/Poetry.